Thursday, May 18, 2017

Memphis Food Truck Review: Rio Mix Fit

I met some former Memphis Flyer coworkers for lunch today at the new Rio Mix Fit truck, a Brazilian food truck that's parked permanently at the corner of McLean and Madison in the lot of Midtown Nursery.

Most of our food trucks in Memphis are mobile and appear at festivals, office parks, or other areas at peak times, like lunch or dinner. But a few trucks have permanent locations, which feels more hip and Portland-y. Rio Mix Fit is parked in front of a lovely courtyard with weather-resistant furniture and umbrella tables. A green tarp covers the entire patio, shielding patrons from the sun and creating a sort of homey feel.

The menu rotates weekly, so some weeks they'll have kabobs, and other weeks, they'll have plates or sandwiches. There are also smoothies (not vegan, sigh) and juices.

Today, they had plates, so Susan and I both ordered the Vila Isabel Vegetarian Plate, which came with coconut-curry lentils with tomatoes, steamed white rice, steamed broccoli & zucchini, and grilled bananas.

The lentils were EXCELLENT, and I was surprised by how healthy and fresh this meal was. Typically, when I eat out for lunch, I leave feeling bloated and way too full to face the rest of the day. But this felt light and wholesome.

So wholesome that I figured I needed some sugar to balance that out! I ordered the Ginger-Carrot-Passionfruit-Orange Juice. This was an energizing blend with a tropical kick from the passionfruit.

Shara and Toby ordered meat sandwiches, so I'll spare you the pics (okay, I didn't even take any), but I did photograph Shara's juice, which was made with pineapple, mint leaves, lemon, and coconut milk. She said it was really yummy.

I've seen the smoothies on their Instagram, and it looks like most are served in coconut shells, and some are garnished with ice cream bars. They look very fancy, and I so wish they were vegan. But most contain condensed milk from what I could tell. They also have a vegetarian kabob on the menu that I'd like to try on kebob week.

6 comments:

Your lunch looks like my kind of meal! It's so weird when things like smoothies aren't vegan! I wonder if they could sub coconut milk for the condensed milk to make them vegan? Or maybe food trucks aren't crazy about substitutions? Your juice sounds really, really refreshing too!

I don't even know where to start! I LOVE the patio style set up! I love that a food truck had the space to do that! The juices sound so delicious and the meal looks great too! What a fun new place. The surfboard menu is adorable too :)

Thank you for putting in the time to review all these places. I know it must take quite an effort but it's so informative and helpful. If I'm ever in Memphis I have such a long list of places to try :)The food looks wonderful. Did the grilled bananas work in the dish? I don't think I've ever heard of non-dessert bananas.

What a great spot for lunch on a nice day! I think it's totally worth asking if they could swap condensed milk for coconut milk in the smoothies- asking nicely with a smile has worked for me! I would love a permanent food truck- i just don't have the patience to follow and track and find the ones i want to eat at!Ttrockwood